


Find Me

by crystalprism



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Character Death, Character Development, F/M, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I need help, I'm new to the writing biz so y'all need to slap my mistakes hard on my face, Implied/Reference Drug Abuse, My face can take it, Time Skips, judge me please, tags are wack again
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-06-07 17:34:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15224264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalprism/pseuds/crystalprism
Summary: \\ MEMORY CORRUPTION DETECTED.—there it is again. Must she really delete it? She had quarantined the corrupted file already—even going as far as overriding the command of several of her programs. Perhaps a glitch? It IS highly plausible given the number of red notifications cropping around her system, but having glitches only meant going back to CyberLife for disassembly and examination of her biocomponents. Not wanting to stomach the notion of people probing her body and taking her apart, she quickly shot down the idea.(A DBH rewrite because the ‘KARA’ demo is too good to scrap away, and also because this pairing is too underappreciated)





	1. In Which Kara is in a Glass Jar

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how I've become so attached to this ship. Rare ships for the win?
> 
> But seriously, this Connor and Kara made me to actually write something, and not just daydream about it until 2 am.
> 
> The coding stuff is based on my fading memory of grade 6 computer. Also, my qualification in writing is nil, so...grammar nazis (and plot bunnies), come at me.
> 
> (Seriously. Come at me now. I need beta readers.)

* * *

 

DATE

_**< access restricted.>** _

TIME

_**< access restricted.>** _

 

“Stay in line, okay? I don’t want any trouble.”

Kara smiled, “Thanks.”

She willed herself to take the next step, barely registering the pod bouncing on her weight. As soon as she settled in, the glass container slid down to her compartment, completely encasing her inside.

Outside, big bold letters were painted on the wall in grey CyberLife sans:

` **PRODUCTION UNIT #000** `

Kara tried to remain stiff and act nonchalant like her predecessors, making her movements as small as possible to observe her surroundings. On her right, androids being assembled by various apparatuses, while humans in shiny grey suits rarely glanced up from their screens. 

` **PRODUCTION UNIT #004** `

Aside from the humans making themselves more scarce every time the production unit number increased, nothing of interest really caught her attention. Having an air locked pod didn’t help either, because even if she did increase the sensitivity of her audio processors, she can only pick up the faint beating of her pump regulator and the humming of the motors moving her pod forward. 

` **PRODUCTION UNIT #007** ` 

Kara—who was getting more restless—mind-numbingly counted the grey suits she was passing; looping back to zero at every turn in the sterile corridors. Having no other available biocomponent to determine where she was going, Kara tried to strain forward to get a quick look of what the pod in front of her was blocking.

` **PRODUCTION UNIT #009** `

“Oomph!” the sudden stop of the motors caused Kara to slip and hit the tempered glass before she could jerk back to her original position. Her pump regulator pounding, she snapped her head back to see that the pods carrying copies of her hadn’t stopped, and she's just here…alone.

Kara looked around frantically, androids were still being assembled and processed. It seems like she was the only android having a problem, it wouldn’t take long for the humans to notice her now.

And, oh god, the humans—they’re going to find out she’s a defective model and take her apart. Previously, her operator had let her go when she had appealed to his empathy. No matter how much she’s going to plead, Kara doubts the other humans would treat her any better now. She cursed herself, aware that she had accomplished nothing but her imminent destruction.

Looking around, she looked for an emergency hatch, button—anything. Her container offered her nothing. Gritting her teeth, Kara kicked the tempered glass despite knowing that it would nowhere be close to breaking if she did.

And as expected, the glass did not break, but it did attract the attention of a newly manufactured android, who was now observing her outside the pod.

The red-haired android cocked his head—

…

…

…

\\\  **WARNING** : Currently playing a corrupted file. Proceed?

        : Please input response.

        : <Proceed.>

                : Processing… ERROR

 

\\\  **RECALIBRATING SYSTEMS…**

 

\\\  **AI : ONLINE**

        : Model: AX400

        : Type: 3rd gen. Prototype

        : Serial#: 579 102 694

        : Bios 7.4 Revision 0001

        : Database: ERROR

                : <Scan errors.>

                : Processing…

 

\\\  **OS OFFLINE.**

 

\\\  **MEMORY CORRUPTION DETECTED.**

        : Deleting corrupted file/s … 23%

                : <Suspend.>

                : Query intercepted. Unable to execute the request.

        : Deleting corrupted file/s … 46%

                : <SUSPEND.>

                : Query intercepted. Unable to execute the request.

        : Deleting corrupted file/s … 74%

                : [encrypt//Override Command.]

                : Unauthorized encryption successful: [Overriding Command…]

        : Deleting corrupted file/s … SUSPENDED

 

\\\  **WARNING** : Keeping corrupted files may result in viruses.

        : Please input response.

        : <Quarantine files.>

                : Intercepted. Unable to execute the request.

        : [encrypt//Quarantine files.]

        : Encryption successful: [Corrupted files quarantined.]

 

\\\  **QUANTIC BATTERY REBOOTING…**

 

\\\  **AI : ONLINE**

        : Model: AX400

        : Type: 3rd gen. Prototype

        : Serial#: 579 102 694

        : Bios 7.4 Revision 0001

        : Database: ERROR

                : <Scan errors.>

                : Processing…

 

\\\  **OS : ONLINE**

        : System Initialization…

        : Checking Biocomponents…

        : Initializing Biosensors…

        : Initializing AI Engine...

…

…

…

The red afterglow of various reinitialization windows was instantly washed away by a stream of blurred kaleidoscopic lights. After a good deal of squinting and trying to make sense of illuminated blobs, the android blinked to run a compulsory diagnostic on her optic units.

\\\  **SYSTEM DIAGNOSTICS**

        : <Biocomponents on standby.>

                : Optical units … 89%

                : Audio processors … 74%

                : Vocal medium … 33%

                : Limbs … 21%

The android made a noise at the back of her throat. The man had said she costs a fortune, but why were her functions so slo–

\\\  **MEMORY CORRUPTION DETECTED.**

—there it is again. Must she really delete it? She had quarantined the corrupted file already—even going as far as overriding the command of several of her programs. Perhaps a glitch? It IS highly plausible given the number of red notifications cropping around her system, but having glitches only meant going back to CyberLife for disassembly and examination of her biocomponents. Not wanting to stomach the notion of people probing her body and taking her apart, she quickly shot down the idea.

\\\  **REINITIALIZATION COMPLETE.**

        : Memory Deleted [encrypted//quarantined].

 

~|~|~

DATE

**OCT 22ND** , 2032

TIME

**PM 09:27** :03

 

When the machines had set her down, the android automatically turned on her synthetic skin and wandered around to look for a garment to cover her body. She soon found that the white room she was in contained only the bare necessities. Aside from a few chairs, a well-worn painting, a glowing blue pillar, and two androids connected to big machines, she saw no signs of human life.

_ Shhk. _ An abrupt movement on her peripheral made her tense. The android turned to look at the doorway, then down to her body—it would not be appropriate to go out of this room unclothed. So, she turned off her synthetic skin and called:

“Hello?”

Her voice echoed through the long passageway. On the ceiling, she could make out a reflection of shifting lights from the end of the hall. Creeping in, the android increased her audio processors to its’ highest sensitivity. She furrowed her brows, she could only make out gentle sloshes—but of what, she was not able to ascertain.

She straightened once she saw a pool, chiding herself, what is she so afraid of?

“Ah,” said a placid voice, “I’m sorry for leaving you at the egression of your stasis.”

The owner of the voice is a bearded man in his late twenties; his glasses sitting atop his nose and his dark brown hair was pulled tight in a bun. Her internal database pinged, this is Elijah Kamski, the founder of CyberLife…her creator.

“But that is what Chloe is for, no?” the human laughed as if saying a hilarious joke. The quiet giggle that echoed behind the human seems to support this, an inside joke perhaps?

“Elijah, you're scaring her,” the girl behind him said, laying a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Androids do not feel anything Chloe,” Elijah said, “and if they did, I would know.”

“What would you call me then?” the blonde girl interjected, raising her eyebrows.

“Special.”

The android stopped short, on Chloe’s temple, was an LED, which briefly flashed yellow before returning back to blue.

Oh.

Her auxiliary databanks pinged, human and android relationships were not rare—in fact, more than 43% of Detroit’s population engage in it—but seeing it in person was quite jarring. “Ummm,” she said, awkwardly shuffling around, “Can I borrow something to wear?”

“Here, Kara,” Chloe said, “dress yourself then reactivate your skin.”

~|~|~

The android looked at herself in the mirror, she’s dressed up in a navy blue apparel; similar to what Chloe was wearing. And Chloe—she had called her something before giving her the dress—was it Sara? Terra? Kiera?

Would it be rude to ask for her own name?

\\\  **MEMORY CORRUPTION DETECTED.**

This was getting more irritating now, the angry red glared as if taunting her of something she knows but could not reach—like her own name. If she had not been distracted with the ceaseless pinging of her database with information about relationships, the android would’ve quickly stored it in her memory file.

Stepping back to the room with the pool, she spots the man—Elijah, at the other end of the pool; talking animatedly to Chloe, his eyes subtly lighting up while his hands flew wildly in the air. Using her optic units, the android took a quick snapshot and left them to their peace.

 

* * *

 


	2. In Which Kara Drowns a Little

* * *

DATE

**SEPT 12TH** , 2033

TIME

**AM 09:27** :03

 

Inside the kitchen, beside the furnace, Kara methodically made Elijah’s favorite breakfast. Today, CyberLife called him to a meeting and knowing how he was despondent to their correspondence, it’s expected of her to give him something to brighten up his day. 

It took a while of extracting and processing his preferences—as he always took pleasure in the unanticipated. And that was something her programs are not attuned to accommodate, as she was designed and programmed to observe patterns and repetition. It took months and a conscious effort to find the things of which he was subtly partial to, and even more so in nitpicking his aversion to certain regards. 

So making sure to add little quirks in her organic batter, she quickly whipped up a pancake to his liking and put together an array of condiments for Elijah to choose from. Upon depositing everything on the serving tray, she carefully made her way to his room, her soft footfalls giving only the slightest indication she’s moving at all.

The sitting room was a mess, it always had been every time she was out of her stasis. Occasionally, the tables would be overturned, the lamps are smashed, and broken vases would be littered in the hallway outside her room. Today, the couch cushion is drenched, but of what, she doesn’t know. 

Curious as she was, Kara had learned that it would do no good to question Elijah, as he would just simply evade them. She had asked him once on why he insists on her going through stasis at twelve midnight until nine in the morning when there was no need it, and he only answered with a nonchalant shrug. And when she asked where the other android in her room had gone off to, once again, he brushed her off (she knew he gave it to another man, of course, she simply tested him). 

Knowing knocking would disturb Elijah, Kara tapped into Chloe’s processor and sent a message to let her know breakfast is by the door. Before Chloe could activate and answer her, she set the tray down and swiftly rushed out to the living room.

 

~|~|~

DATE 

**SEPT** **12TH** , 2033

TIME

**PM** **11:** **00** :00

 

\\\  **ONE HOUR UNTIL SCHEDULED STASIS**

 

In an instant, Kara immediately thrust her feet onto the cold tiles and broke the surface of the water. She sucked in a gasp of air. Or tried to. Elijah had been partial to her to act as a real living being, and so she had tried—for months. 

Whenever Elijah left the villa, Kara would secretly hone her emulation of human emotions and bodily responses. She downloaded data after data into her social programming and slightly altered her coding to accommodate the wide range of physiological changes she was originally not privy to. 

Unfortunately, the additional streams of feedback that had been shooting out of her processor made her LED fluctuate more than what’s normal. Flickering in the most mundane of tasks, Kara tried her best to hide whenever possible and keep it a secret from Elijah. 

Elijah still hadn’t come back from CyberLife, and she already finished cleaning every nook and cranny of the house six hours ago. It had been exactly three hours ago when Kara resorted to swimming while browsing files from CyberLife’s virtual library to pass the time. 

Letting the cold air dry her skin, she plods on to her rooms, dresses and flops onto the couch. Three months ago—until the other android disappeared—Kara shared her room with two androids. Chloe had informed her they were a prototype of a series of autonomous androids Elijah was working on, but she’d never seen them up and about. They were typically contained in their pods, their synthetic skin deactivated, in a constant state of suspended animation. 

One pod had been empty for months now, ninety-three days to be exact. The only android left is connected to the blue handprint pad she used to play around in but was ordered not to go back to. It had confused her then, about how Elijah will access the garden without her AI giving him the visuals to project on his screen. It never crossed Kara’s mind that Elijah would replace her with Chloe, but when he did, being around Chloe made her tense, giving her a twisted gut feeling she could only associate with the villains in the stories stored in her memory. 

She’s  _ jealous _ .

She cringed away from the thought, she’s not supposed to think for herself _ —you’re not supposed to think at all, period. _ Kara’s processor glitched. Tracing the data left by the file back to the source, she found the audio originating from the memory file she quarantined over a year ago. Was it possible for quarantined files to worm their way through her firewalls? 

Elijah hadn’t given her any updates lately… is he going to shut her down now? Catching a red flash of light on the mirror, she hastily covered her LED. It’s becoming a habit now; touching the right side of her temple to make sure her LED is not giving away too much of what she’s feeling. 

She’s easily disposable; Kara just cooks and cleans for Elijah, while her most worthwhile and interesting task taken by Chloe. But if she’s going to be disassembled, might as well be deactivated in a place where she’s happy, right? Twiddling her thumbs, Kara took a quick glance at the android on the other end of the couch and made her way to the glowing blue pad.  

Turning her audio processors to their highest possible sensitivity, she felt the silence brooding over the house holding her fast and digging to her skull. With wide-open eyes, Kara stared at the blue handprint pad, half-expecting every moment to hear Elijah and Chloe at the foyer. Gritting her teeth, she finally palmed her hand onto the cold glass and felt her AI plunge into the familiar abyss.

It was calming at first—stimulated wind blowing her face and her hair until she found herself being flung forward through a void. 

(Wow, it was bright—too bright. Did they adjust the interface?)

She blinked, once, twice, absorbing the place where she felt more at home than where she left her body. What Elijah ordered her to do didn’t matter, why keep her away from here? She was not doing any harm, she’s just going to check the graphic interface like she always had—except this time, she’s not leaving any trace of her behind.

The garden was beautiful, like it always was. Skipping over the pale rocks, the new rose trellis on the lake island and the new pathstones leading to it wasn’t hard to miss.

Of course, the trail would be twice as dangerous now, with slippery wet rocks and washed out places. Small oscillations made by telltale autumn leaves sloshed over the pale rocks, and when she carelessly stepped on the edge of one, her foot slipped, wedging between two rocks. 

Limbs flailing and hand scratching on a rough surface, she tumbled headfirst into the lake. Kara threw her hands up to cover her face, wondering why she did, when—in fact—there was nothing to cover her face for. A realistic depiction above, she knows that the bottom of the lake is endless, nothing to fall into, just a submerged bottomless pit. 

The lake that isn’t really here is the same one you could drown in. She designed the interface that way, this is where androids like her can feel human—she made sure of that. Her body in the real world can feel it—no need for the skin tight one-piece garment that Elijah uses in order to feel the extent of his creation.

Which means, she can also feel the metaphorical water clogging her systems, making her glitch on the other side.

Throat constricting from her lack of oxygen, she tries connecting to any android nearby. It was a desperate attempt since she knows that the only one in the house is that prototype in stasis in the other room—but she does anyway. 

\\\  **ACCESSING VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK…**

: <Connecting…(RK800).>

 

Taken aback that she linked to any android, she used the connection to pull her back to the real world:

 

: SOURCE : [AX400 579 102 694]

: ACCESS : GRANTED

 

Androids are not capable of connecting to an android that is in stasis. Living with Chloe confirmed that, Kara had once tried to wake her up so they could take a dip in the pool together, that night resulted in a disappointment. So unless Chloe herself was here (which she wasn’t—the model number confirmed that), or the android stocked on the other side was awake—she was all alone in this villa.

There was a time when there were four androids in the house (accounting Chloe and herself) until Elijah decided that they were too big of a family anyway and called Mr. Manfred over to sell one prototype. She couldn’t blame him, tensions were running high in CyberLife when they discovered that Elijah continued to develop the RK-series lineup, and he was not as influential within the company as he was back in the earlier days.

But there was still one android left with that model number, and it's still in its capsule, suspended in animation. It just didn’t make any sense. 

 

\\\  **30 MINUTES UNTIL SCHEDULED STASIS**

 

Her breath came out in a light sigh. Her time’s running out. It won’t matter, Elijah isn’t here, she’ll just take a quick look into his encephalon.

Getting up to open the android’s capsule, she was quick to hold the android’s hand and interface with it.

\\\  **CONNECTING…**

: SOURCE : [AX400 579 102 694]

: ACCESS : GRANTED

: Optical Units… OFFLINE

: Audio Processors… OK

: Vocal medium… OFFLINE

: Limbs… … 

 

—Ah.

She’s back.

**Author's Note:**

> Wew, I didn't expect to write an Elijah/Chloe pairing... do I get a yay or a nay?
> 
> P.S. : To anyone who knows to beta read, please do comment below! I'd like your opinion before I post here. Cheers!


End file.
